Once Lost
by Cappucine
Summary: Trunks and Goten have vanished without a trace. No one even knows if they're dead...they're just gone. Please R&R!
1. Mysterious Disappearance

Disclaimer: I don't own DragonBallZ.  
  
I'm not too sure what I'm doing, but I'm trying.  
  
Bulma sat within the chair, looking at her bony hands. She felt helpless and stuck. There was nothing to do. She seemed to feel that the only thing she could do was sit, worry, and not mention the absence of her son.  
  
Vegeta stared at her. Her usually beautiful and silky blue hair was messy, oily, and constantly forced itself in front of her eyes. She didn't bother to move them to see, there wasn't anything worth looking at if she couldn't see her son. Her eyes seemed worn and abused from behind the glaze of tears, and her face was startlingly pale. Dark circles had decided to show themselves from underneath her eyes, and her once rosy lips had turned to a shade of gray and purple.  
  
She refused to eat anything nutritious. Vegeta had managed to persuade her to drink small glasses of water, but he had roughly and almost cruelly forced her to eat something with nourishment in it by pouring honey mixed with milk down her throat.  
  
Vegeta had searched for months for Trunks, but was unable to find anything that led to his whereabouts. There wasn't even an explanation for his abrupt disappearance. At first, Bulma thought that he had run away, and would return in time. But as each day passed by, they didn't hear from him or see him. They were convinced he had died.  
  
As to who might have murdered him, they couldn't say. There was no one they could think of with enough power to blow Trunks away into oblivion, without leaving a single molecule of his existence behind. They would certainly have been able to sense the powerful Ki of an enemy. But there wasn't even a hint of someone suppressing his or her enormous strength.  
  
Naturally, they searched frantically for the Dragon Balls to summon the Eternal Dragon. They begged to have him back, but their wish was denied. They didn't understand why, and shouted their protests. The dragon simply replied, "I am powerless in this matter." The next best to ask for was to know the location of Trunks, but again the dragon wasn't able to do anything.  
  
With everything confusing him, even Vegeta had snapped. There had been several nights where Bulma would sit awake in her chair and listen to the violent sounds in the next room as Vegeta smashed things to pieces and blew parts of the wall away.  
  
"Vegeta," Bulma walked into the room so that he stopped, panting. "I'm sorry," she cried. Her weak, pale legs collapsed from underneath her so that she landed on all fours. Shards of broken glass cut into her palms, and he could see the dark blue bruises on her arms where he'd held her down to force-feed her. She was nothing but a mass of pain. "I'm sorry," she cried, putting her drenched face into her hands. Vegeta could only stare at the pitiful scene.  
  
And now they stood around continually, saying nothing. Bulma steadily grew sicker and sicker as she refused to keep her body nourished, and Vegeta was ready to give up force-feeding her.  
  
The knock on the locked glass doors brought their empty minds to a realization of where they were and what they were doing. Vegeta was the only one nowadays who would talk to anybody. Silently, he went to the doors to unlock them so they could slide open for their guest.  
  
Goku entered quietly and looked at Vegeta for a moment. Finally, he spoke. "She's not alright?"  
  
Vegeta's silence was enough for Goku. Goku understood completely what Vegeta must have been going through. Even the tall, proud, royal Saiyan, who never admitted emotion, couldn't hide the frustration and stress that incessantly swelled up within his chest. He knew exactly what they were going through, because Goten, too, was missing.  
  
In exactly the same way, at exactly the same time, the two boys, who were miles away from each other that afternoon, had vanished. At least Goku and Chi-Chi still had someone to look after, which kept them going. But Gohan, in his worry for his younger brother, wouldn't do anything productive.  
  
"Has she eaten?" Goku asked, his voice low and weak.  
  
Vegeta shook his head.  
  
"And you haven't even eaten. I can tell."  
  
"Neither have you," Vegeta told him.  
  
Goku stood with his arms crossed. "Chi-Chi doesn't even get out of bed."  
  
"Bulma won't get out of that damn chair," Vegeta growled.  
  
"At least she's not always lying around."  
  
"Big difference."  
  
The two stood in silence for an hour, looking at the walls of the house, until Goku finally left with a feeble goodbye.  
  
No hints or clues. Nowhere to look anymore. Nothing to do anymore. They were falling to pieces. They were collapsing. And this time there was nothing to mend them.  
  
Okay, end of chapter one. Review! 


	2. Shadowed Figures

Disclaimer: I don't own DragonBallZ.  
  
Thanks for the reviews! Always encouraging.  
  
Bulma's stomach was so empty it felt as if it was drying up. It was withering because it had nothing to keep it satisfied. In her hunger she felt a burning sickness from within. She wanted to vomit the sickness up, but there was nothing inside her to regurgitate. She was so lost by now that slowly, inch by inch, her mind was fading away.  
  
Vegeta sat at the wooden table beside the window where the sun shone through, making the room pale with light. His fingernails dug into the wood, scratching it deeply. There had to be some kind of explanation, he thought. Two strong half-Saiyan warriors don't simply disappear without others knowing. It had never happened before. He wanted to keep searching for the two boys, but he'd looked everywhere on the planet with no success. Part of him wanted to keep sitting in his house, silent, but he couldn't keep away from the world forever. Then again, the world had nothing to give him anymore. He was better off locked away in near-isolation.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
Chi-Chi was lying on top of her sheets on the bed, staring up at the white ceiling above her. The rich blackness in her eyes had become bright with grief, and her eyelids were swollen, red and chapped from her endless crying. She would stop every now and then to breathe while Goku tried to comfort her, but nothing could fill the empty space in her maternal heart. Within her long and slender fingers she clutched a picture of her youngest son to her bosom, wanting him back.  
  
Goku wouldn't train anymore. He would sit upon the mountaintop, the wind making his ears bitter with iciness, and continually search for Goten's Ki. Everyday, though, he would come home with no success.  
  
That night, as usual, he walked into the dwindling warmth of his home, past the walls with forgotten pictures, up the stairway, and into the soundless, muffled room where Chi-Chi still clutched Goten's picture. She even kept one of his old toys on her nightstand, a tiny, soft, blue dog that he'd played with as an infant. Goku slowly advanced towards her, and hesitantly leaned her forward to console her within his embrace. She didn't return it. She remained still and limp in his arms, barely breathing.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
In the darkness of evening, while the skies were of deep, velvet black and riddled with constellations above, a shadowed, limping figure dragged itself through the trees of the woods. Low breathing disturbed the night air as the dark, steel eyes looked for lights on the hillside. The dead leaves from beneath the figure's feet rustled, until the stranger reached the boundaries of the forest, and stared up to the hill, barely lit with starlight.  
  
And somewhere, at the very same moment, in the streets of a live city, someone was dragging their blistered feet over the cold concrete. The shadow refused to walk under the street lamps, instead moving around the lights to stay in the dark. One of his hands was clutching his shoulder, his arm drawn weakly over his chest. The bleak eyes scanned the walls of each building, looking for the doorway of his past.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
Goku heard the pounding upon his front door, a heavy, strained echo that traveled across the halls. Restless and uncomfortable shifting came through the wooden barrier, as a weak hand scraped its nails down across the wood.  
  
Goku rose from his seat gingerly to meet the person at his doorway. But when he opened it, he was stunned beyond speaking.  
  
Before he had opened the door, his mind was expecting it to be Krillin, or Videl, or even Vegeta. The electricity of his shock ran up through his arms and his spine as he stared down at the figure kneeling upon the mattress, hands spread out wide across its fabric.  
  
A raspy voice greeted him.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
This time, Vegeta refused to answer the door. He sat at the same wooden table all the way across the house, looking out to the belt and sword of Orion. He was going to let it leave, he was going to let the visitor at his door knock until they gave up and went back to wherever it was they came from. He heard the doors open. Two bare feet dragged their callused soles over the hard floor.  
  
Bulma didn't look up at whomever it was towering over where she sat. She didn't want to talk to anyone if she couldn't talk to...  
  
"You look worse than I do," he told her.  
  
Impossible, but the raspy, weak, choked voice sounded so much like...she looked up at the dirty, pale face until she broke into strained, weary tears.  
  
Oh, I'll bet you don't know who the strangers are! (Sarcasm there.) Review! 


	3. Pain

Disclaimer: I don't own DragonBallZ.  
  
Reviews! They keep a person writing. As requested, I'll try to tell you the age of the guys, but it's kind of difficult. 1, Trunks's sister was supposed to be born at this point, but in here she's not, you'll find out why. 2, I don't really know how far apart the two are in age (I guess Trunks is maybe one or two years older than Goten), and 3, it's difficult to mention how old they are without giving that "going out of your way to say it" impression on the readers. However, I'll do my best!  
  
Vegeta, hearing Bulma's sobs, went to check on her. He advanced towards the kitchen and gazed at the spot where she used to constantly sit. Quickly, though, his attention was turned to the tall, fatigued figure of Trunks, who had confusedly allowed his worried mother to embrace him.  
  
Vegeta's face remained expressionless, though with the relief that washed through his chest, his posture immediately became straighter and taller.  
  
Trunks looked back down at his mother. "Mom, I really wish you wouldn't cry."  
  
She loosened her grip on him and backed away, almost embarrassed, and wiped her face dry with her fingers. "Sorry," she said, and gave him a small smile to reassure him.  
  
For several minutes they stood around saying nothing, until Trunks finally spoke up. "I really have to take a shower or something." His hands and feet were sweaty and almost completely covered in dried dirt, and his face was not much different.  
  
"Of course," Bulma nodded. "When you're done I'll have dinner ready for you. You must be hungry!"  
  
Deciding it would be better not to comment on how Bulma, too, must be famished, he carefully made his way up the stairs, leaving the other two to let the anxiety escape their minds.  
  
Bulma estimated the size of her family's hunger, including her own, and prepared a large enough serving of rice, vegetables, pork, chicken, and rolls to feed five Saiyans. She set everything down on the table, and sat in her seat to stare at the food longingly.  
  
At last, Trunks came downstairs, looking a little closer to the way he had before that day...except that, strangely, one of his arms seemed to be itching for movement, as if it desired greatly to hit something. Vegeta looked away, not wanting to aggravate his already weary son. On top of that, he didn't want to arouse suspicion in Bulma, who apparently didn't notice.  
  
Trunks sat down with them, and, without another word, the three ate their fill gratefully. They had missed the taste of finely prepared food for so long. Bulma finally started to look a little healthier, color gradually returning to her face.  
  
When he'd finished eating, Trunks, too exhausted to stay awake, proceeded up the staircase and to his bedroom where he felt he could finally rest.  
  
Bulma and Vegeta were rather fatigued, as well, and decided to get ready for bed.  
  
Vegeta wondered whether or not Bulma was going to say anything. He expected her to have at least asked the most obvious question, but never did. Annoyed, he mentioned it slightly. "If our son is back..."  
  
"I'm sure Goten is with his family, too." She tightened the straps on her nightshirt. Before she could ask why he wondered, he spoke harshly.  
  
"Isn't that odd?"  
  
"What?" She looked at him. "I don't understand."  
  
Vegeta thought that if she didn't see the strangeness in the situation, it was better to leave the subject alone. "Never mind," he said to her.  
  
"Trunks is back, right? That's all we asked for. And from what I could tell he isn't seriously injured, thank heaven. You're tired. So am I." She stretched and yawned. "I might take a sleeping pill to keep me out longer."  
  
. . . . . .  
  
As soon as Trunks was sure that his parents were sleeping, he allowed the pain in his left shoulder and arm to seep in. Instinctively, he grabbed at his arm and dug his nails deep into his skin, nearly breaking it.  
  
He was back home. He was home. That was all that mattered. He was supposed to feel relieved, he wasn't supposed to feel anxious anymore. The horrid visions in his head were supposed to disappear now. But they weren't gone. And the anxiousness still pulled at him, like it was on a line with a hook and it was trying to yank his stomach out from inside him.  
  
His bangs fell in front of his shut, wincing eyes, and he dug his nails deeper into his arm. With his other hand, he cut his fingertips into his knee, and attempted to break through to his veins. When he opened his eyes, he saw the scarlet blood stain into his pants as he tried to put his focus on a different source of pain. But still the aching in his arms could not be outdone as the agony stabbed inside his flesh more and more.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
Goten immediately went to visit Gohan after he'd eaten, eager to see his older brother once more.  
  
Chi-Chi cleared the table off as Goku relaxed in his chair, finally satisfied with a good, healthy meal. He put his hands behind his head and leaned back.  
  
"Is he going to be alright?" Chi-Chi sighed.  
  
"I'm sure he's going to be just fine. Goten can take care of himself. He made it back home, didn't he?"  
  
"Yes, but..." She paused before putting the bowls into the sink. "I'm still worried. He seems so different, not at all like I remember him."  
  
Goten, who was usually slightly cocky, outward and often fun loving, seemed quiet and pondering, as if he was thinking about an idea he didn't intend to share.  
  
"He's probably been through a lot," Goku started, but was interrupted.  
  
"What?" Chi-Chi shouted. "What? What was it he went through? Can't he even confide in his own mother? Or even at least his father!"  
  
"He might not want to talk about it," Goku told her calmly.  
  
"I was never afraid to speak with my father," she said.  
  
"But you were...well...a girl. He's a sixteen-year-old boy. Boys are different."  
  
She sighed, hoping deeply in her mind and her heart that Goten would come around.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
Goten, finally outside, leaned against the wall of his house, away from the windows, and pressed his foot into the ground.  
  
God, why can't it go away? he thought. The pain was immense inside his leg. He tried keeping his foot off of the ground for a moment, and felt a bit more at ease. His tight-shut eyes loosened to simply being closed. His eyebrows pointed inward a bit with his stress. When he would put his foot on the ground, it was as if claws inside his calf went a little deeper and became a little sharper with his every step.  
  
He gathered himself and proceeded towards his brother's house just down the road.  
  
There you have it. Review! 


	4. Questions

Disclaimer: I don't own DragonBallZ.  
  
Reviews! They're so encouraging.  
  
"We figured as much." Bulma was on the phone with Chi-Chi while Vegeta and Trunks finished their breakfast. "Yeah. Uh-huh. Alright, that'd be nice. We'll see you later, then."  
  
As soon as the phone was set on its hook, Bulma went to gather the now empty plates and put them away in the dishwasher. "I hope you don't mind," she said, looking mostly at Vegeta, "but I told Chi-Chi we'd go to visit them."  
  
Vegeta didn't reply, but it was obvious that he didn't mind whether or not he went, though it seemed more of a veneer of indifference.  
  
"So I'm just going to get ready," she finished, and headed upstairs to reapply her makeup.  
  
Vegeta glanced across the table at his son. His hands seemed to be gripping the table rather forcefully, as if he were afraid it would fly out of his grasp. "If you don't mind," he said, not looking at Vegeta, "I'd like to stay home." His face wore a rather frustrated and confusing expression.  
  
Vegeta got out of his chair and went upstairs to find his jacket while Trunks sat, thinking. He tried to keep his breathing smooth and slow, but his chest felt as if it wanted to rise and fall with a rapid rhythm. He gripped the table even harsher with his fingers, putting splintered dents into it.  
  
When Bulma came back down, she looked at Trunks, who was still sitting at his place at the breakfast table.  
  
"What? You're not going to get ready?" she asked.  
  
"I...think I'll just stay home," he said. "I'm tired."  
  
"Don't you want to see Goten?"  
  
"What?" he rounded harshly on his mother, who was stunned at his sudden hostility. He was standing, looking down at her, panting. "Sorry." He moved away into the next room.  
  
Deciding that it was a better idea not to ask what had upset him so much, she walked out of the house with careful stepping, as if she didn't want to make a wrong move.  
  
Trunks was left in the other room with his left arm pulsing, his hand clenched into a tight fist, and his face stern with anger. The pain that persistently remained permanent inside his arm now seemed to have turned into an itching, a type of desire to damage something beyond repair. His mind raced through thoughts at impossible speed. I don't need to see Goten, he thought. Why would she ask such a damn, stupid question? Why would I want to see him?  
  
. . . . . .  
  
Goten sat on his bed, cradling and nursing his foot. He'd tried to walk normally on it for the past few days since he'd returned, but it was only getting worse. Now he'd started to bleed, tiny streams pouring from his leg, and even more blood oozing from the soles of his foot. He put his leg and foot back into the pan of water he'd filled when his parents weren't looking. Right away it seemed to feel less tense with the soothing temperature of the frigid liquid. Eventually he wrapped a cloth around it to let both water and blood soak in.  
  
After cleaning up the mess, he tossed the red cloth in the laundry room. Chi-Chi passed at that moment with a load of dirty laundry. Bending down, she picked up the cloth for him by a single, clean corner, and stared at it. The oddity of it sank into her mind for only an instant, until she decided to shrug it off.  
  
But as she started to put more of the laundry into the washer, she came across countless rags that were all stained crimson.  
  
When she'd finished with the laundry, she made her way over to Gohan's house, hoping he wasn't too busy at present.  
  
She knocked politely on the front door of the tiny, dome-shaped building. Videl opened it at that moment to smile at her mother-in-law. "Oh, hi, Chi- Chi. Come on in."  
  
"Thanks. Is Gohan here?"  
  
"He's upstairs. I'll go get him. Wait here."  
  
. . . . . .  
  
Goten, wanting to escape the suspicious glares of his mother and father, went back to Gohan's.  
  
When he entered, he glanced at his older brother, who was sitting at the table with his nose barely two inches away from a thick book while he took notes down. He gazed up at Goten, and then shut the book. "Hey. What's up?"  
  
Goten sat down immediately from across his brother, hastily hiding his right leg in the shadows.  
  
"Just came to say hi," he replied.  
  
Gohan pondered for several minutes. What was the best way to do this...? "So, you doing alright?"  
  
Goten nodded.  
  
Perhaps the best method of interrogation was not to be subtle, Gohan considered. "What's wrong?" he asked, leaning his forehead into the palm of his hand, while his elbow sat on the table.  
  
"What?" Goten asked.  
  
"Mom says you're hurt. So what's the matter?"  
  
Damn, Goten thought. Why can't they stop breathing down my neck?  
  
Without thinking, he scooted his chair away to let Gohan stare at the blood- saturated leg of his pants. It was so drenched that he could see scarlet droplets dripping onto Goten's shoe.  
  
"There you go," he snarled. "But don't bother saying I should get help. I already tried everything I could think of."  
  
"So what do you plan on doing now?" Gohan took his glasses off and set them on the table.  
  
"Well, I treat it, even though I can't cure it. Water seems to temporarily halt the flow."  
  
"Water?"  
  
"Ice water, actually." He sat still with his arms crossed. Now the blood was dripping onto Gohan's carpet. The blotch grew larger and larger with each drop.  
  
There's chapter four for you. Review! 


	5. A Burning

Disclaimer: I don't own DragonBallZ.  
  
Reviews! Always nice to receive those!  
  
Vegeta still found it difficult to ignore the peculiarity in the fact that both boys had left in the same instant, and then returned in the same instant. However, Bulma still couldn't see this. The fact that her son was safe and sound at home again was enough for her. At least, he was safe and sound from what she could see.  
  
That morning, when Trunks had woken up and he went to change his shirt, he noticed several light, irritated scratches on his arm. The strangeness of it sank into his mind. He hadn't remembered being hurt since he came home. He wondered...no, that had gone by then...but the scratches...they seemed remarkably like claw marks.  
  
That afternoon, Trunks decided that it was all right to speak to his mother again. She seemed rather hesitant whenever she would approach him since that day he'd been so snappish with her. He could tell, too, that he'd hurt her. Despite his regret, he had thought it best to say very little to her.  
  
That morning she sat at the breakfast table, drinking a cup of strong coffee, until she looked up at him. "Good morning," she said.  
  
"Morning." He put his hands inside the pockets of his jacket. "Dad already gone?"  
  
"Yes," she said. "He's been training since five or so this morning." There was a long pause. Bulma suddenly had a curious expression. "Why are you wearing a jacket?"  
  
He tried not to scowl. "I feel like it." The truth was he wanted to hide the scratches on his arm.  
  
"It's already nearly seventy-six degrees," she said.  
  
"I'm fine." Actually, he did feel rather warm with the sweltering breeze blowing in through the open windows.  
  
"What's wrong?" Bulma asked. "Is there something you want to get off your chest?"  
  
He shook his head.  
  
Bulma sat up straighter and her glare softened. "Trunks...I'm sorry. I know it's annoying for your parents to always worry about you." Well, at least she worried about him. It wasn't as easy to tell with Vegeta. "But please, remember, we only have your best interests at heart."  
  
"Yeah." Abruptly, he noticed a stinging in his shoulder. They felt very receptive to every sharp twinge of pain. He thought it was impossible, but maybe not. Were the scratches spreading?  
  
. . . . . .  
  
Goten, while his family were all out for the evening, had escaped to the top of a mountain where snow still rested on the peak. He could still fly, but with every pint of blood he lost in his leg he felt as if his energy was dwindling.  
  
A howling, shrieking wind whipped at his ears and nose while he sat on a nearby rock. Carefully, with his eyes wincing at every movement, he attempted to pull his boot off. It was finally loose enough around his ankle so that it could slip off smoothly. Then, cautiously, he unwound the long, red bandage and threw it into the snow. Finally, with the blood literally glistening in the orange sun, he removed his sock.  
  
He lunged his foot into the icy, frozen snow. Steam rolled into the air as it hit the boiling heat of his blood, and he wondered when and if the flow would ever stop.  
  
As soon as he felt almost certain that the rush was temporarily halted, he cleaned the snow off.  
  
He stared wide-eyed at his leg. What? he thought. There were deep, sickening, pinkish-red, raw gashes in his shin. The more he stared at the wounds, the more they seemed to feel freshly torn. He didn't remember being cut...at least...not.... His eyes followed the horizon up to the sky. Dusk was falling, which meant that back home it must be completely dark by now.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
A deadly silence seemed to ring through the walls of the house. Every single light was off, and Bulma and Vegeta had met up with Goku and the others for the evening.  
  
Trunks's scratches had not only spread to his chest now, but were deeper and wider. They'd now been exposed to raw, vulnerable slashes that allowed blood to gush out all the way down his arm and between his fingers.  
  
With the hand that was covered in crimson, he held his forehead. His skull seemed to be aching with a wide sensation of soreness.  
  
Pictures were racing through his head. He knew what he was doing, and then he didn't. He was aware, he could feel the smothering creep into his brain. The suppression in his mind struggled with the strong will inside him.  
  
His legs turned weak, and they gave way beneath him. He landed upon his hands and knees, and shut his eyes tight as he tried to flinch out the pain. His nails dug into the wooden floor and scraped through it as if it were butter. Sweat dripped down off of his forehead. His breath was hot as he panted with a rapid pace. Even the warm, night air that entered the house from open windows was cold enough against his exhaling to show steam. A burning feeling spread into his face, and singed its way into his eyes. When he opened them to peer at his surroundings, they glowed with a blazing, scorching red. He rose to his feet slowly as the burning grew more powerful in his left arm.  
  
Well, there you go. Review! 


	6. Malady

Disclaimer: I don't own DragonBallZ.  
  
Reviews! Also, sorry for the slightly late update...yesterday was terribly busy.  
  
When Bulma and Vegeta stepped into the silent house, it was near ten o'clock, and they were feeling especially tired.  
  
"Trunks," Bulma called for him. "Trunks!"  
  
Vegeta listened for a reply, as well. For several minutes nothing came. The oddity of it didn't take long to strike him. Bulma, too, suddenly seemed rather concerned.  
  
"Vegeta, you don't think...he's gone...?"  
  
"Highly unlikely, though always a possibility," he replied.  
  
"Again?" She looked at the floor, and noticed the red drops. "Vegeta, look."  
  
He glared at the gory mess of tracks mixed with undisturbed puddles. "Blood."  
  
"Was he...? We have to look for him! Vegeta!" He shot a sharp glance at her, and she in turn gave him a pleading expression.  
  
Without speaking further, Vegeta walked back out of the doors and took off into the air to search for Trunks.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
Goten was lying out across the roof of his home. The bleeding in his leg had finally stopped, though his pants were still soaked. He opened his eyes, and they burned through the dark, night atmosphere. He sat up abruptly, looking out across the hills and into the trees of the distant forest.  
  
He stood up, and then proceeded to glide through the air with intended speed, all the way to a city that was alive with night owls, stopping on the top of a tall building where the roof was beneath the shadows of the clouds of darkness.  
  
He looked out over the busy streets and crowds. Abruptly, a malicious smile spread across his face. "I've found you."  
  
. . . . . .  
  
Trunks's head whipped to the side, his attention captured by the Ki that he suddenly sensed. He gave a malevolent grin. "Yes."  
  
Without warning, Vegeta landed at Trunks's side. "What do you want?" he asked.  
  
Vegeta didn't answer when he saw the strangeness in Trunks's countenance.  
  
The half-Saiyan escaped the suspicious gaze of his father when he soared off to where he sensed Goten's Ki.  
  
Finally, the two confronted one another on the top of a wide, flat building roof.  
  
Goten's smile lingered as he stared with his blazing eyes at Trunks, who sent his own burning gaze to the rival.  
  
Without warning, Trunks rushed at Goten and hit him with a powerful blow. When his opponent looked back up at him, he smiled evilly and sent Trunks flying with a kick that seemed to be powered by pure adrenaline and insane, Saiyan energy.  
  
Trunks's entire body smashed up against the side of the ledge on the roof, breaking it into tiny pieces. He'd suppressed his energy with amazing reacting speed so that he would simply be caught by the concrete ledge, rather than crashing through several buildings. He stood up, letting the energy flow freely once more.  
  
"I'm impressed," he said.  
  
"As am I," Goten replied. "You can barely bruise me."  
  
"You took the words right out of my mouth. Why do you not let the whole of your power rush through your veins so you can kill me and be done with it?"  
  
No reply came.  
  
From across the building tops, Vegeta listened intently, stunned, remaining motionless in a patch of shadow.  
  
"I don't need to use all of my power to defeat a pathetic excuse for a creature like you."  
  
The muscles throughout Goten's whole body became larger, and tensed up as the veins under his skin bulged, almost ready to break. The steel-and- adrenaline-like surge that flooded through him to his very fingertips enraged his mind, causing him to summon two black energy attacks, with dark purple, electric waves dancing across the surface. He fired them directly into Trunks's face, which sent his enemy flying all the way down to the streets below.  
  
People shrieked and gasped at the sight of a limp, bloody figure, while others stared in confusion or sickened shock.  
  
Vegeta, knowing better than to enter the battle, immediately started to try and find Goku's Ki.  
  
Kakarot. Kakarot, can you hear me?  
  
. . . . . .  
  
Goku, who had just returned to his home with Chi-Chi, Gohan and Videl, paused. He listened.  
  
Kakarot!  
  
Vegeta?  
  
Kakarot, go to Capsule Corporation, now.  
  
Right.  
  
Without telling the others, he placed two fingers to his forehead, and disappeared.  
  
"Goku!" Chi-Chi uselessly cried for her husband.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
When Goku showed up near Vegeta's Ki, his focus was at once absorbed in the rough, startling battle between Goten and Trunks.  
  
Energy summons and violent strikes made the very air shake and vibrate. Now and then he would catch and glimpse of the frenzied warriors, their faces smeared with blood.  
  
"What's wrong with them? Why are they fighting like that? They look as if they want to kill each other!" Goku was shocked beyond the ability reason the situation.  
  
"They do want to kill each other," Vegeta told him.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Idiot, use your senses. Can't you tell that their energy is different than usual?"  
  
The energy that flooded into the atmosphere from the brutal encounter that raged between the fighters didn't seem as if it was completely controlled. And it certainly wasn't pure Saiyan power. Goku sensed something almost like an infection, as if their vigor was polluted with disease, a natural and yet unnatural flow of illness and malady.  
  
And then the Saiyan realized that to interfere with the conflict between the two impure combatants would mean that the sickness would spread to him.  
  
There you have it. Review! 


	7. Trying to Help

Disclaimer: I don't own DragonBallZ.  
  
I made it to chapter seven! I'd like to thank each and every individual reviewer for all the encouragement! One just can't keep it up without reviews...  
  
The war seemed to rage on for several hours. Vegeta and Goku could only stand from their safe distance and watch as their sons fought with dwindling fury.  
  
Finally, Goku could catch a glimpse of the sunrise from the corner of his eye, the yellowish-blue sky of morning where gray clouds dotted the horizon. There was a placid impression that came from the first ray of sun from over the buildings.  
  
With dying strength, Trunks attempted to kick Goten for a final time, but could only throw him off balance.  
  
Finally, the two exhausted fighters, bruised with blood saturating their clothes and staining their worn faces, collapsed in the street below.  
  
Goku and Vegeta rapidly went to examine the limp, fatigued warriors before taking them home. Cautious, they approached. After checking what was left of the Ki, Vegeta was doubtless that the polluted aura of Trunks had vanished. At least for now.  
  
He grabbed Trunks by the arm and hauled him over his shoulder. Goku did the same with his own son, and the two immediately headed for home.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
As soon as Chi-Chi had rushed down the stairs of her home to answer the knocks at her door, she knew who it was.  
  
She opened it. "Goku!" She gasped, putting her hands over her mouth. To see her child so mutilated must be unbearable, Goku thought. He tried to comfort her.  
  
"He's okay," he said. "He'll heal quickly, I have no doubt."  
  
She helped carry Goten, who was still out cold, up to his bedroom, ignoring the blood that soaked into the sleeves of her robe. Tears uncontrollably dripped from her eyes as she took him to his room, and Goku could only wait until Goten would wake up to explain the madness in his behavior earlier.  
  
At that moment, a creaking sound met the couple's ears. Gohan and Videl ran into the house hurriedly and up to the hallway outside the room.  
  
"We saw you come home," Gohan said.  
  
"What happened?" Videl's expression was very concerned.  
  
"I'll tell you all later," Goku replied.  
  
Even Gohan was fully horrified at the sight of his disfigured brother. It was actually nauseating. He took Videl downstairs, not wanting her to take in more of the disgustingly unforgettable picture.  
  
Chi-Chi ran downstairs and pushed her way past the two to fetch a bowl of warm water and rags from the kitchen. She went back up to undertake the laborious task of restoring Goten to health as much as possible.  
  
With Goku helping now and then, she wiped away the blood from Goten's arms and chest. What Goku saw appalled him beyond belief. In their fight of hatred and insanity, Trunks had actually taken the opportunity to grab shrapnel that randomly flew through the air and shove them into Goten ruthlessly. Wires, glass, and bits of metal and concrete were jammed inside his arms and chest.  
  
Chi-Chi contained herself and went to empty the bowl of water in the kitchen.  
  
Gohan and Videl watched as she passed. In the kitchen, she refilled the bowl with water, grabbed clean cloths, and also, to their confusion, grabbed another enormous bowl.  
  
She set them down in the room. "Goku, stay with him. I have to go and get something."  
  
She headed into the bathroom. After taking out some disinfectant from the cabinets, she washed a pair of large, silver tools she'd also grabbed. They were blunt and seemed to be specifically for grabbing things.  
  
When she came back in the room, she saw Goten trying to move his arms. This wasn't going to be pretty, she knew. If only he could have stayed out for a few more minutes.  
  
She put a hand over his head in her motherly manner. "It's alright, Goten. Goku, I need you to hold him down."  
  
Goku hesitantly grabbed his son's wrists and watched apprehensively as Chi- Chi set the bowl under Goten's arm to catch any blood that would soon drain. She took up the tongs.  
  
Gohan and Videl listened intently at Goten's mild groans and Chi-Chi's words.  
  
"Try to be tough, Goten," she said. "This is going to hurt a lot."  
  
Suddenly, a piercing scream met their ears.  
  
Goku struggled with his son while Chi-Chi, too, tried to keep him down as she wrenched the tongs into Goten's arm. Successfully, she pulled out a sharp piece of a broken metal pole.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
"What do you mean we don't have any anesthetics left?" Bulma shouted, tying Trunks down to the bed with ropes. He struggled helplessly. He was so feeble now that even ropes sufficed to keep him strapped down.  
  
"I looked everywhere you told me," Vegeta replied. "There isn't anything left."  
  
Trunks gave up and panted, keeping almost completely still. Bulma gave him an apologetic look, one that he couldn't see since he couldn't even open his eyes.  
  
She fetched the cloth and bowl of water to clean off the drying blood. Finally, she took his face in her hands. "Open your eyes," she told him.  
  
He kept them stubbornly shut.  
  
"Open them, I said."  
  
He would have told her of how it would hurt if he could. But his breathing was too weak to help support any sound.  
  
"Vegeta, bring me that box."  
  
He handed her a medical box full of intimidating tools. She took out an odd- looking pair of utensils, and forced Trunks's eyes open. Sticking the gear to his eyelids, which forced them open, she was able to see the sharp bits of glass in his eyeballs.  
  
"God, can you see?" she asked.  
  
Trunks's gaze moved to her. Apparently, the glass had missed the vital parts of his eye, so he hadn't been blinded.  
  
Vegeta recalled the events of the encounter. He remembered when Goten had grabbed up the flecks of glass and forced them into Trunks's eyes, meaning to blind him. He hadn't, fortunately.  
  
Bulma took in a deep breath nervously. She took a pair of tweezers from the box and put them to Trunks's right eye.  
  
He felt horrified when he became aware that he wouldn't be able to blink during all of this.  
  
As Bulma grabbed the glass and tried to pull it out, Trunks's body generated enough adrenaline to break to ropes that held him down. Quickly withdrawing the tweezers so she wouldn't hit Trunks's eye, Bulma moved back.  
  
Vegeta grabbed Trunks's throat with one hand and his shoulder with the other, holding him down.  
  
"Be brave, Trunks. If you struggle, it'll take longer," Bulma said.  
  
She pulled the next piece of glass out as Trunks protested with his cries.  
  
I know that was very descriptive of all the pain and stuff...well, review! 


	8. Virus

Disclaimer: I don't own DragonBallZ.  
  
Thank you all so much for the reviews! They're so supportive!  
  
Chi-Chi sat silently, hands crossed, while Goten lay in his bed, supposedly sleeping. For the seventh time, Goku had gone to empty the bowl of draining blood before bringing it back up.  
  
Chi-Chi stared at her son. She moved backwards and forwards through thoughts that racked her brain. Slowly, she rose to her feet. "Goten...Goten?" She moved hesitantly to where he lay. "Please, what happened to you? Why won't you be the way you used to be? What's wrong?" She seized his pale, limp, scabbed hand within her own and put it to her forehead. Tears fell onto the bed.  
  
Goku returned with the bowl and set it beneath Goten's free arm. Blood steadily cascaded down and into the bowl. With sympathy washing through him, Goku advanced towards Chi-Chi and laid a consoling hand upon her shoulder. "I'm sorry."  
  
. . . . . .  
  
Finally, Bulma had finished cleaning Trunks's wounds. He was completely motionless, though his breathing was slightly stronger. Now and then his fingers would twitch within his distressed slumber.  
  
Bulma glanced at Vegeta. She gazed past his expressionless eyes to perceive the concern in his mind. Troubled, she left the room to pace back and forth in the hallway.  
  
Vegeta stared at the almost lifeless body of his son. Trunks's fingers twitched inwards once more. Sensing the disturbance in the way he was sleeping, Vegeta wondered whether or not he would wake up.  
  
He looked intently at the pale, clammy face with swollen eyes that were riddled with hues of blue and purple from sheer weakness. And he realized that in Trunks's half-aware mind, he was giving up.  
  
Vegeta left the room. Racked with frustration, confusion, and anger, he went to stare at the horizon of the buildings outside the window  
  
Bulma entered the room again. She didn't want Trunks to be left alone. Her feet slowly crept across the cold floor, until she stood over him.  
  
"Trunks," she sobbed. "Please. Don't...You're my child." Her knees fell to the ground, and before she could contemplate her actions, she'd grabbed his arm and pulled it over to hold onto it. "Trunks...don't...I can't lose you. You're my son. Please." She let the tears drip onto his insipid skin.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
Bulma, still clenching Trunks's arm, lifted her head from the sheets to look at him. She sat up quickly when she heard him groan. His blue-purple eyes opened faintly to look over at her.  
  
A gasp caught Vegeta's attention, and he rushed into the tiny room, where he saw Trunks already sitting up.  
  
"How are you feeling?" Bulma inquired.  
  
"Tired." Trunks closed and opened a scabbed hand.  
  
He let her throw her arms around his neck worriedly. "What happened?" she asked, releasing him.  
  
"I think I fell asleep," he replied.  
  
"I'll go make you some food. I'll be back."  
  
As soon as Bulma had exited, Vegeta went to sit in a chair. "Tell me what happened last night," he demanded. "And tell me what happened when you were gone."  
  
Trunks closed his eyes slowly, and then opened them again. His blood- specked orbs moved over to stare into his father's.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
They didn't remember how they got there, but it was of little matter. The reason why was also unimportant and meaningless. Nevertheless, the two boys, miles away from one another, had been standing outside.  
  
Wind caused the grass to wave like the sea, and clouds moved overhead slowly. There was no disturbance in the air, nothing to cause wonderment in their empty minds.  
  
A wave in the air brought them out of the bored trance. Close to their feet, a shadow seemed to lurk. There was, of course, no shadow at all. Not that either of them knew of this, but it seemed strange that ominous figures should be stalking them down when they were so far from one another, especially when the shadows had the same motive and were hunting at the same time.  
  
Then, without warning, their faces were smothered. Their limbs were frozen and paralyzed, and their eyes were forced shut. They found it hard to breathe, but somehow they kept on inhaling and exhaling with a steady rhythm, and somehow, through a flood of agony, they survived.  
  
For all those months, they seemed to sit in darkness. Suddenly, they felt a drowning sensation sweep over them. To open their eyes made them sting, and they kept them constantly unopened. But they could always hear voices.  
  
"The taller one seems to be older and coping very well."  
  
"What about that one?"  
  
"His injuries were worse. He'll make it, though. He'll have a bit of a blood bath now and then, but he'll be just fine."  
  
"What did you do with the original specimens?"  
  
"They killed each other. We believe one victim has the ability to locate other victims. The virus wants to kill any other diseases similar to it. We studied it under a microscope. We put two infected cells together in the same liquid, and when we checked back, there was only one living."  
  
"So the virus wants to destroy itself?"  
  
"The virus seems to cause the brain to malfunction. We've noticed several cases of paranoia and hallucinogenic schizophrenia. These two, though...it's crazy. It's almost as if they're rabid."  
  
"Will they want to kill each other?"  
  
"And anyone else who catches the brain virus."  
  
A week later, the two awoke to find themselves where they were before they'd been captured. They knew that whoever had set them free again was dead. Determined to forget about the traumatizing events, they headed towards their homes, still unaware that soon they would want to find and murder each other.  
  
Victory is mine! I've completed chapter eight! Review! 


	9. Control

Disclaimer: I don't own DragonBallZ.  
  
Thanks a lot for all the reviews, people! It's great to see those!  
  
Chi-Chi had not yet permitted Goten to get out of bed. He stared out the window to the docile setting of blue, afternoon sky mingled with wisps of clouds. He could see distant trees swaying peacefully in a tranquil breeze.  
  
Chi-Chi would serve him his meals in bed on a prepared tray. Despite his urge for freedom outside of the house, it was somewhat comforting to know that she worried for him.  
  
He thought back on how he'd fought with Trunks those few days earlier, and how it must be confusing and outrageous to his family's point of view. He pondered on whether he should confess to what was wrong with him.  
  
For a while he'd tried to keep away from his father and brother as much as possible. When they would pay him random visits, he'd request for Chi-Chi to tell them to leave. He realized that Gohan and Goku must think they were shunning him, but in truth he didn't want them to fall prey to the horrendous lunacy of the brain virus.  
  
Videl's visits were always welcome. He didn't have to worry about her since she wasn't Saiyan, and was very unlikely to be targeted by the contagious ailment.  
  
Sooner or later, though, Goten felt he would have to explain the reason for his rejecting behavior.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
Vegeta had told Bulma everything he'd learned. To his amazement, she took it very sensibly.  
  
"Is there a cure?" she inquired.  
  
"Not that we know of."  
  
"And it's contagious, right?"  
  
"Only to other Saiyans," he replied. "Or so he thinks."  
  
"Where'd he get that idea from?"  
  
. . . . . .  
  
"So they should virtually eliminate one another, then."  
  
"And the virus seems only to spread to other victims like the original. We tested a dog with the disease. When we put it in the same room with monkeys, none of them were affected. After we put other dogs in, and came back hours later, most of them had been torn apart, and testing showed obvious traces of infection."  
  
. . . . . .  
  
"Can we make a cure?"  
  
"You know better than me," he told her.  
  
"Why don't we just get the Dragon Balls and wish for them to be restored to health?"  
  
"I think whoever made the illness thought about that."  
  
"We could try, though," she said, crossing her arms.  
  
"Do what you want. I have to stay away from him anyway."  
  
. . . . . .  
  
When night came, Trunks lay awake, the cold wind coming in through his open window. He was perfectly quiet and still.  
  
Until he felt a burning in his fingertips. He sat up quickly, looking at his left hand. He saw red beneath his skin, identifying the internal bleeding. It traveled up his arm with such rapidness that seconds later he felt his mind being smothered and overpowered. He clenched his nose as blood drained out like a waterfall.  
  
Not again, he pleaded. Then he sat perfectly still, and discontinued his inhaling. He had the idea that if he didn't feed his mind oxygen, he would be able to buy himself enough time to alert Bulma. He exited the room, still holding his nose, and sought her out.  
  
However, he was already too affected by the virus that he was unable to think about the consequences of wandering freely, that he might make a mistake and encounter his father, instead.  
  
With agony burning into his eyes to the point where he became unable to see where he strayed, he stumbled into Vegeta's path.  
  
What happened at that point became only a memory. Before long, Vegeta was down on the ground with immense pain stabbing into his stomach. His hands began to feel strained and stretched as he tore through the floor with his nails. His wrists seemed to want to turn to stone with hardened muscles that ran up through his lower arms. His brain was being suffocated and stifled with a syrupy sensation, and blood rushed out from behind his eyes. He tried to blink the thick, gory layer away, but to no avail.  
  
At last, he felt the pain dissolve into nothing but vast and overpowering intensity. He blinked through the film of blood to look up at Trunks, who was now under control of the sickness, as well.  
  
His strong will gave him proper restrain of his thoughts, and Trunks's long fight also gave him his wits. Vegeta found the newborn force inside him tempting. And because of the proper discipline over the madness in their heads, they had no desire whatsoever to murder each other. Instead, the picture of a different victim ran into their minds.  
  
With no words spoken, they shot out the wall of the house and flew through the expanse in front of them, heading straight for their target.  
  
They stopped at last outside the tiny home and stood silently. Without a second thought, Trunks knocked the wall of the house down with a single punch of his left fist.  
  
Goku, who had waited for their first move when he sensed their Ki at their arrival, stood, half-shocked.  
  
"Kakarot," Vegeta sneered.  
  
"We've been looking for you," Trunks told him.  
  
"So I see," Goku answered. He braced himself for an attack. "But you guys are crazy to be coming here like this."  
  
"We're crazy anyway," Vegeta told him. "Remember?"  
  
"Clearly."  
  
All three heads turned to footsteps coming down the stairs.  
  
"Well, well. Look who decided to show up," Trunks remarked.  
  
"I make quick decisions, don't I? Like deciding to figure out how to control it," Goten tapped his head, smiling evilly.  
  
Abruptly, all three turned on Goku, and shot at him, sending him smashing through the wall rapidly.  
  
Chapter nine done! Review! 


	10. Retreat

Disclaimer: I don't own DragonBallZ.  
  
So many reviews! Thank you all so, so much! You're great!  
  
Goku promptly got to his feet, and fired a sphere of energy towards Vegeta. With what seemed to be no effort, Vegeta caught the sphere within his grasp and tossed it back at his enemy.  
  
Goku dodged quickly. He would have been aware of any energy attacks that would follow him incessantly, but the last thing he expected was for the attack to predict his future movements and hit him seconds later. His arm singed horribly.  
  
When he looked back up, Trunks had already fired a blue ray towards him. To make matters worse, Goten was aiding his former adversary by launching his own attack. The yellow ray instantly united with the blue one, and an incredible force struck him mercilessly.  
  
By the time the smoke was just beginning to clear in front of Goku, his throat was caught in the callous grip of Vegeta. He was lifted into the air, only able to struggle. He struck at his rival directly into his face, but Vegeta was unaffected. His fist felt as if it had hit into Saiyan-proof steel, so stunned that it took minutes for him to feel any pain.  
  
Vegeta threw Goku into the air and rushed after him rapidly, then grabbed his head and sent him crashing into hard earth and rocks.  
  
Goten picked up the abused form of his father, and swung him out to crash miles away.  
  
Then, unexpectedly, Gohan appeared from nowhere and attacked Trunks with fast and furious movements.  
  
Gohan delivered several hits to his foe's face, but each time Trunks merely looked back up.  
  
Vegeta headed off in Goku's direction, while Goten stayed behind with Trunks. He took a ruthless hold of Gohan and sent a bone-shattering kick to him, stunning him throughout his spine so that he stood completely still.  
  
Trunks kicked him in his head, and brought him to his hands and knees.  
  
At that moment, the teenage allies pointed their fingers at the shocked pile on the ground, ready to fire their final attack.  
  
Suddenly, Gohan stood, and with amazing speed, grabbed Trunks and sent him crashing into Goten.  
  
When the taller warrior rose, he felt blood dripping from beneath his eye.  
  
Inconceivably enraged, Goten flashed into thin air, and reappeared to grab Gohan around the neck, holding him so that Trunks could effortlessly eliminate him.  
  
Trunks pointed his finger at the gagging figure, but abruptly a different idea rushed into his head. He smeared his fingers in the blood on his cheek and threw it at Gohan's face.  
  
It went directly into his mouth and eyes. Released from the grip around his throat, he faltered backwards and raked his hands through the grass, tearing it up by the roots.  
  
The two diseased beings watched patiently, waiting for Gohan to come out of the symptoms of soreness. They kept their eyes fixed on him as they watched blood gush from his mouth. Every few seconds, the writhing mass choked on his gore, until finally he looked up, his eyes filled with crimson.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
Vegeta fired another enormous ray of energy among the newly created canyons. Once again, he was victorious in hitting Goku, sending his adversary smashing up through more stone.  
  
Goku stood, his energy from Super Saiyan Three slowly draining away from out of his veins.  
  
He began to think desperately for a solution as to how to defeat the contaminated aura that surrounded his challenger. The power it was feeding Vegeta seemed unattainably high. He'd never imagined that gaining that sort of might was possible or even realistic. Vegeta had become ludicrously strong and violent.  
  
With no strength left, Goku's energy slipped away, until he was no longer a Super Saiyan Three. With the familiar black hair falling in front of his face, he collapsed onto his back, wondering what the ailing impression he sensed would compel Vegeta to do after he was dead.  
  
Unpredictably, Gohan appeared, looking at the pathetic piece of feebleness that lay on the ground. Goku studied the red in his eldest son's eyes, realizing that his exertion had been in vain.  
  
What he witnessed next seemed too unlikely for him to believe it was actually happening. He tried to let the picture sink into his mind.  
  
Gohan had sent a single kick into Vegeta's gut. Miles of earth gave way beneath Vegeta as he collided with sizeable boulders.  
  
"Gohan..." Goku murmured.  
  
He lifted his father to his feet and faced him. "You can't defeat them," he said.  
  
"Just tell me one thing. What's wrong with them...and you?"  
  
"A brain virus," he said. "They couldn't it fight it enough to truly think for themselves. They can fight how they want, but they can't think past the clouding that says to kill you...and probably me."  
  
"What about you?" he asked, cradling his arm.  
  
Gohan gave no reply, powering up to Super Saiyan to ready himself for the next clash with Vegeta. At last he decided to answer. "I don't know what'll happen from here. Listen, I sent Mom and Videl to Bulma's. Try to take care of them."  
  
The two mangled shapes of Goten and Trunks came over the hill behind them.  
  
"Get lost," Gohan commanded.  
  
"But –"  
  
"You'll only be a hindrance." He glanced at his father. "I've got to worry about myself enough right now without having to look out for you while you're in this state."  
  
Goku retreated, leaving Gohan trying to sense Goten and Trunks's movements while simultaneously searching for Vegeta.  
  
"That was a mistake," Trunks said. "I should have known better than to spread it to you."  
  
"Live and learn," Gohan told him, and shot an enormous, black orb back in their direction.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
Bulma and Chi-Chi patched up the last bit of wall with the thick plastic sheet and heavy tape. Bulma cut off a strip of the tape and stuck it to the plastic, then attaching it to the wall.  
  
"It'll do for now," she said, wiping her brow. "Would you like some water?"  
  
"Yeah, that'd be good," Chi-Chi nodded.  
  
Videl sat staring out of the window desperately, hands held together tightly. Chi-Chi joined her daughter-in-law, standing beside her.  
  
"I know how it is," she said. "I worry a lot for them, too."  
  
"What was wrong with them?" Videl asked. "It was like a nightmare. Like they just snapped or something. Is...Gohan going to be..."  
  
Suddenly, Chi-Chi saw Goku arrive outside on the sidewalk. She ran quickly to the door to meet him, Videl following.  
  
When he stepped in, he embraced his worried wife.  
  
"What happened? Where's Gohan and Goten?"  
  
Bulma came from behind them. "Did you see Vegeta or Trunks? Please tell me!"  
  
"Did you tell them about the virus?" he asked Bulma.  
  
She shook her head.  
  
"What virus?" Videl asked.  
  
"What are you talking about, Goku?"  
  
"Trunks..." Bulma started. "He was sick. He said someone had put a virus into him. It causes the brain to malfunction and drive them mad."  
  
"No, my baby!" Chi-Chi realized what was wrong with Goten, as well.  
  
"Gohan?" Videl asked.  
  
"He's trying to keep them off until we figure something out," Goku said. "I don't know how long he'll last."  
  
They stood in silence, their heads too full of questions and unreasonable answers that all they were able to do was stand around.  
  
Bulma suddenly started to shout in her frustration. "Until we figure something out! What does he want us to figure out? Our only solution earlier was to keep those two away from the rest of you Saiyans. Obviously that didn't work, so what do you want us to do now?"  
  
"Nothing," Goku said.  
  
Bulma seemed surprised.  
  
"I don't think we can do anything."  
  
"Wait, what about the Dragon Balls?" Videl asked.  
  
"I forgot!" Bulma said. "I even had the Dragon radar and everything!"  
  
"When do we look?"  
  
"Now!" Chi-Chi shouted.  
  
"Good. And...I think it should just be us to look for them. I don't think Goku should come." Everyone stared at Videl.  
  
Chi-Chi was taken aback.  
  
"She has a point," Goku replied. "If they sense me while I'm searching, something could go wrong. Right now we can't be too careful."  
  
Chi-Chi crossed her arms stubbornly. "You and Bulma can look for them, but I'm not leaving Goku again."  
  
Moments later, Videl and Bulma had left with the Dragon radar, frantically looking for the Dragon Balls while Gohan still fought to keep their enemies at bay.  
  
I was having some problems with pronouns during all of the fighting...it can get confusing, but I don't want to overuse their names! Review! 


	11. Fatality

Disclaimer: I don't own DragonBallZ.  
  
Ah, reviews! Thank you so much, people! Reviews are always wonderful! Did I mention how much I like reviews?  
  
Oh, by the way, Trunks' Brat Baby asked a very good question, wondering why Goku didn't catch the virus since he'd made contact with the others in the fight. It's explained...in this chapter, that is...  
  
Bulma studied the radar held in one hand while she continued to steer the ship with the other. The tiny white dot flashed repeatedly and moved in closer to their position. Videl glanced over at the radar, as well.  
  
Bulma, sure that she was within the range of the Dragon Ball, landed the ship. When the two travelers stepped out, they promptly began to scan the area.  
  
Behind them was a tiny waterfall bubbling out from some rocks surrounded by small plants. A few tall trees towered above them, leaves rustling in the calming breeze.  
  
Bulma headed towards the spring, watching intently as the flashing white dot moved to the center of the radar. "Funny. The radar is telling me the Dragon Ball should be right here."  
  
"Where?" Videl joined her, and started to scan her eyes over the scenery of the spring. She noticed several holes in the mounds of earth and stone at the source of water. She shifted to stare with one eye into the cracks of earth. "Bulma..."  
  
"Hm?" She closed one eye, searching inside the mound of earth. Before her sat the two-star Dragon Ball. "Figures. It's never easy to get these when you need them."  
  
When Bulma looked back up at Videl, she saw she had a large stone clenched tightly in her two hands. Immediately she started to bang it up against the weakest side of the mound to loosen it. After several minutes of beating the hard earth steadily, it collapsed into the small stream, being washed away.  
  
"That works, I suppose."  
  
Videl took the Dragon Ball within her grasp and handed it to Bulma, who placed it securely in the pack hanging over her shoulder.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
Goku stared over at his wife. She was just finishing up the breakfast she was making him, topping off the complete meal by serving him his glasses of milk and orange juice.  
  
"Thanks, Chi-Chi."  
  
Chi-Chi had been very relieved that nothing had happened so far, her spirits rising slightly with the fact that they hadn't had any unwelcome visits from the others. But Goku knew better than to let his guard down. Several unimaginably strong warriors who happen to be out for blood don't simply decide to give up pursuing their target.  
  
Chi-Chi sighed and sat across the table from Goku. She wondered what would happen if she were to accidentally get caught in the line of fire during all of this, wondering whether she would only become a hindrance to her husband. However, the urge to be there for Goku far outweighed the carefulness in her actions.  
  
"Goku...if you couldn't even stand against Vegeta and the others when they'd been infected, what about Gohan?"  
  
He looked up at her. He'd hoped not to have to tell her about the unfortunate events that took place when he'd been there. "He's sick."  
  
"But then why isn't he trying to kill you, too? And why didn't you catch it?"  
  
"To answer both of your questions, he's controlling it. They're all controlling it. However, Gohan had a lot more strength to be able to disobey the virus's commands. The others weren't so fortunate..."  
  
"They're controlling it? As in they're using it?"  
  
"I think so," he answered. "It increases their strength to levels I thought could never be achieved. Nevertheless, it's happened."  
  
Chi-Chi moaned in worry for her two sons. It was like a living nightmare to her. Goten was trying to do what was unspeakable and ghastly in his attempt to slay his older brother. What made matters worse was that if he did succeed it would mean the last person able to defend everyone would be out of the way, and Goku would be nothing but target practice.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
"You'll pay for that!"  
  
"Then make me pay."  
  
Vegeta fired the black orb of energy towards Gohan. However, even he was able to avoid its prediction of future movements, leading it directly back to Vegeta by using his instant transmission. He appeared behind his enemy, and at that point the sphere struck upon its caster.  
  
"Fool. Why do you insist upon defending that valueless creature that calls himself a Saiyan?"  
  
"I'm not defending him. I'm defending me. Tell me, what would you do once he was gone? Who would you desire to be eliminated next?" Gohan crossed his arms as he stared at the weakening form of Vegeta. "Me? Goten? Or even Trunks? And if you did manage to kill the rest of us, what then? You'd be driven so mad that you'd begin to tear your own flesh off of your bones in your lunacy. You've become nothing but a slave to this disease."  
  
"Shut up! No one could enslave me, much less a tiny germ! Die!"  
  
Gohan launched himself into the air to move away from the black ray that aimed straight for him.  
  
Vegeta followed, and the two began to attack one another with such speed that only images of the brawl appeared within the air every few seconds.  
  
On the ground below the battle, Trunks lifted himself to his knees, supporting the upper half of his blood-covered body with his hands. "I will kill him!"  
  
He flashed for a split second to reappear where the battle took place, and struck Gohan hard with his fists in the back of the head.  
  
Vegeta fired another sphere of energy into his rival. Gohan screamed when the enormous force struck him, and flew to the ground, crashing into several yards of earth.  
  
Trunks started shooting millions of rays down towards Gohan. They came down like rain, too hard and fast for the hapless half-Saiyan to avoid altogether. Several of the drops of rays hit him and sent him flying several meters back.  
  
He arose warily, and followed the two into the air. He tried to kick Trunks, but found he wasn't swift enough. The maddened son of Vegeta grabbed Gohan and thrust his knee into the adversary's back while stretching the victim out, bringing serious injury to his spine. He grabbed Gohan's wrist and swung him, and then released him in a downward toss.  
  
With Gohan's strength and morale crushed from the damage done to his vertebrae, Vegeta and Trunks fired the largest and final rays at their prey. Gohan screamed past the excruciating agony that started to swallow him, until the cries abruptly became silent.  
  
Ashes floated slowly to the ground, and dust and smoke drifted in thick clouds below the two fighters. At last, the dust lifted, giving Trunks and Vegeta a clear view of the soil. Sprawled across the ground was the half-body of Gohan. The entire right half of his body had been blown away, with only pieces of his bones left visible as cooling blood flooded out. The left half of his body was blackened and burned, his remaining eye blood-shot and rolled up in the back of his head.  
  
Victorious, Vegeta and Trunks smiled and continued to stare at what remained of Gohan's corpse.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
"I got it!"  
  
"Good. I'll take it."  
  
Videl, who was somewhat shaken by retrieving the Dragon Ball from a hostile nest of snakes, handed it over to Bulma. She immediately put it inside her bag.  
  
"Only four left. We'd better get going."  
  
"Right."  
  
Bulma saw that the relieved expression on Videl's face suddenly turned to horror-stricken. Her eyes widened and her mouth hung open in a silent gasp.  
  
Bulma turned and gazed into the scarlet eyes of a badly bruised Goten. He stood, staring at them with no expression.  
  
Videl remained absolutely still, clutching her chest as her heart pounded in terror with a rush of adrenaline.  
  
Bulma clutched the strap of her bag tightly with one fist and whispered, "Just turn around and go back to the ship. He might let us leave."  
  
They started to walk towards the ship with unsure steps, until they reached the doors of the craft.  
  
Goten looked down at Bulma and stood beside her. She endeavored to give him the impression that she disregarded his presence.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"Getting into my ship, what does it look like?"   
  
"I mean with the Dragon Balls."  
  
"Bulma, just get in, don't speak to him!"  
  
"Excuse me." Bulma started to climb in, until a hand grabbed the strap of her red dress and pulled her down.  
  
She confronted the owner of the hand that had hold of her, glaring mutely at Vegeta. Beside him was Trunks, intolerant and unspeaking.  
  
"Where are you going, woman?" Vegeta demanded rather than asked.  
  
"Away from you, hopefully."  
  
"That's not a polite way to speak to your mate." He smirked.  
  
"And it's not very polite to grab people like that," she shoved his hand away.  
  
"Bulma, please!" Videl begged from inside.  
  
"What do you want with the Dragon Balls?" Goten inquired. "Last time we ask."  
  
"None of your business!"  
  
Trunks advanced impatiently. "You need to be taught some respect, wench."  
  
She gasped, appalled. "How dare you speak to your mother like that!"  
  
Trunks laid a hand harshly across the front of her skull. She tried to remove his grip from her, grabbing his wrist with both of her hands, but her attempt was futile. At last, she fell, unconscious.  
  
"Bulma!" Videl panicked inside the ship.  
  
Before she could try to escape, Goten halted her. "You're not leaving just yet. First you're going to answer our question. Then maybe we'll consider filling you in on something you just might want to know about."  
  
Ha! I've done it again! I've finished another chapter! Review! 


	12. Watching

Disclaimer: I don't own DragonBallZ.  
  
And I got more reviews, again! It's absolutely great! Thanks much, guys!  
  
By the, to Trunks' Brat Baby...sorry if I couldn't explain it well enough in the last chapter. Goku didn't catch the virus because they're controlling it, which also means they can control whether it spreads or not. Remember Trunks was still trying to fight it when he ran into Vegeta, so he didn't have it under restrain just yet. And he had to specifically throw his blood at Gohan to infect him.  
  
Goku kept his eyes fixed on the floor. He was sitting in one of the chairs in the living room, clenching his knees with his hands in his aggravation.  
  
"Goku?"  
  
He lifted his head to gaze up at Chi-Chi. Quickly he changed the expression on his face for her, giving her a light smile. "Hi."  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
"Oh, yeah. I was only thinking."  
  
"Do you think Videl and Bulma are okay?" Chi-Chi inquired, looking at the arm of the chair in her distress. "I mean, shouldn't they have been back by now? How long does it take to find the Dragon Balls when you have the radar?"  
  
"I don't know." He glanced out of the window to the dark blue heavens where not a star was visible past the thick clouds. "I am a bit worried, it's late evening now..." He sat in concentrated thought for a long and uneasy amount of time. "I might have to go and find them." He got to his feet.  
  
"No, Goku, what if you run into...?"  
  
"Chi-Chi, this is our only solution. The Dragon Balls are our only other answer." But the longer he gazed into her shining and beseeching eyes, the more he felt a reluctance to leave. His expression softened. "Okay. I'll wait here for them. But if they don't come back by midnight, I'll have to see what's up."  
  
Somewhat relaxed, Chi-Chi nodded in approval.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
"What did she say?"  
  
"She said they were looking for the Dragon Balls to try and heal us." Goten threw the bag down at Vegeta's feet. Inside were the three found balls and the radar.  
  
"Not anymore," Trunks grinned. He walked over to the huddling figure of a horrified Videl. She kept her eyes off of the caster of the shadow that crept over her.  
  
"Seeing as how you were reasonable, we've decided to let you know that we killed Gohan."  
  
The eyes on her pastel face widened with grief and terror, and tears began to run down along her cheeks. Little by little, her breath escaped her lungs from her open mouth as she endeavored to resist the urge to cry.  
  
"He's lying out on the plains. Or half of him is, anyway."  
  
She shut her eyes tightly and clenched her teeth together. She wanted to stand up at that very instant and rip out Trunks's windpipe, but the fact that she was helpless weighed heavily upon her shoulders, smuggling the desire.  
  
He left her sitting upon the soil and confronted Vegeta, arms crossed. "What do we do with them?"  
  
"Let them go. They're not a bother, anymore."  
  
"Just be grateful we decided not to hurt you," Goten said.  
  
"It would have been a waste of time, anyways," Trunks told him. Carrying the bag, they took off into the air and left Bulma and Videl on the ground.  
  
"Videl...are you okay?"  
  
She nodded, then slowly rose to her feet to face the faint gaze of Bulma. "Just a bit shaken. They told me Gohan died." She wiped a tear away.  
  
"Videl..." Bulma searched for any words that entered her mind that might possible console her comrade.  
  
"Never mind. It's already done. We have to get the Dragon Balls back now so we can revive him and stop all of this."  
  
"How? We can't just march up and say, 'Hey, mind if we have those back, please?'"  
  
"We should go and tell Goku," Videl responded. She opened the door of the silver ship that still stood intact. Bulma only wondered why Vegeta and the boys hadn't destroyed it. Most likely, she thought, they wanted the two women to alert Goku on what had happened.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
"Hey. Why don't we find the others?" Trunks tossed one of the Dragon Balls in the air and caught it as it descended. He did this over and over as they all stood upon the darkened cliff where they had a good view of the city and wind rushed past their ears.  
  
"What for?" Vegeta asked intolerantly.  
  
"I thought we could use 'em to complete our pool table set," he remarked with a strong and defiant air of sarcasm, causing Vegeta to scowl. "Oh, wait. I have a better idea. Why don't we have a wish granted?"  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"A new car. To gain infinite strength, try that!" He caught the ball a final time and started to squeeze it impatiently within his grasp.  
  
"We don't need infinite strength," Vegeta said, and shot the ball out of Trunks's hand. Goten, who was sitting on a rock, listening quietly, caught it as it flew back. "We just need to kill that imbecile Kakarot."  
  
"What if something went wrong?"  
  
"What could go wrong? The only thing that stopped me from eliminating him last time was that idiot son of his! And he's dead now!"  
  
Goten grinned as he took note of the remark.  
  
"I was only suggesting..." Trunks frowned.  
  
Vegeta smirked. "Why? Are you scared of him?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Then what?"  
  
"There is a difference between fear and wariness. We've seen him fight. Almost every time he seems to be too weak to stand a chance against the threat, but somehow he always pulls through."  
  
"Hm. True. But I think this time we've got the advantage over him." Vegeta looked out to the rooftops of the city. "So let's go and say hello."  
  
. . . . . .  
  
"Did you get them?"  
  
The two exhausted women hesitated as they looked from Chi-Chi to Goku. "Yes, and no."  
  
"What does yes and no mean?" Chi-Chi placed her hands on her hips and glared at them icily between slits of narrowed eyes.  
  
"We got three of them," Videl said.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"And then they were stolen," Bulma finished.  
  
"Stolen? By whom?" she shouted.  
  
"By...them."  
  
Chi-Chi sighed, and put a hand to her forehead. "Good grief. What's next? They come crashing into the house?"  
  
The four heads turned to stare at the wall that was abruptly shattered in. "Close enough."  
  
Goku moved in front of the women to guard them.  
  
"Your head is mine," Vegeta scowled.  
  
"Not without a fight."  
  
"Naturally. You always want to do it the hard way."  
  
"Goten!" Chi-Chi called at him. "Goten, what's wrong with you?"  
  
He paid no heed to her cries as he remained outside the collapsed pieces of the wall. He merely stared at the scene that took place before him, lingering apprehensively for a first move.  
  
"Goten!"  
  
"Give it up, Chi-Chi," Bulma said.  
  
"But –"  
  
"He's beside himself," Videl uttered. "He even killed Gohan."  
  
Chi-Chi's mouth hung open at these words. One of the only people she had left had been ruthlessly slain simply because he wanted to keep his mother and wife out of harm's way, and the hit to her heart was agonizing.  
  
"As much I'd love to take the credit for that, they did," Goten pointed his thumb over at Trunks.  
  
"Vegeta, look at me," Goku commanded.  
  
"What do you think I'm doing, fool? Staring at the ceiling?"  
  
"Look at Bulma and Trunks. Do you really want to kill them?"  
  
"Save it," Vegeta snapped. "I'm not easily persuaded by sentimental preaching." He fired a ray of energy straight at Goku, who screamed as he flew back and crashed through walls and floors of concrete.  
  
Vegeta stepped over the ruins, chips and fragments of concrete crunching beneath his feet, and advanced slowly towards his rival. Goku attempted to rise to his feet with what strength he had in him.  
  
When he halted before Goku, Vegeta raised his fist, clenching it tightly, and smashed it into his rival's face. Goku landed face-first into all of the white, dusty pieces of wall.  
  
"What, you're not even trying?"  
  
Goku was lifted to his feet by his foe, and continued to stand motionless as he endured hit after hit after hit.  
  
"What is he doing?" Chi-Chi sobbed as she witnessed the endless blows Goku withstood.  
  
"Maybe he's giving up." Trunks observed the fight carefully.  
  
"I don't know," Goten responded.  
  
Finally finished! This took me forever to write, my hands are moving stubbornly today. Review! 


	13. Mental Exertion

Disclaimer: I don't own DragonBallZ.  
  
Thanks a whole lot for the reviews you all sent! It's wonderful!  
  
And to Rika/Phoenix: You're not the first one to be confused about the virus thing.  
  
If you don't get how they caught it: Trunks and Goten were abducted by an anonymous person and forcefully infected with a brain virus. It affects their brains, telling them to kill other Saiyans, but it only spreads to other Saiyans, as well.  
  
If you don't get why they only want to kill Goku: They recognize anyone else with exactly the same type of restraint over the virus as an ally, which is why Gohan, who had more authority over the virus than they did, was seen as an enemy. Goku isn't infected, so they want to kill the only Saiyan they see as an enemy. So, I hope I could help you understand it!  
  
Chi-Chi shut her eyes tightly and put her hands over her eyelids, hoping to block out the sight of Goku being cruelly beaten. Why? she thought. Why is he just standing there letting Vegeta slowly kill him?  
  
Goku bore each hit that was delivered to his face. Vegeta lifted his fist to bring down the final blow, which drove Goku face-first into the pile of concrete. He lay there, frail and inert.  
  
"What a waste of time," Vegeta remarked, "bothering with someone who won't even try to fight back. Should I just put you out of your misery, then?" He set his foot on Goku's head, threatening to crush it.  
  
Without warning, Goku stood and aimed his fist directly at Vegeta, who blocked it with his own. They collided and stood, struggling to push one another back. Blood started to rush from their knuckles as they continued to stand their ground, both fighter's fists still pushing against the other.  
  
Finally, Vegeta raised his bloodstained hand and sent it smashing into his opponent's face.  
  
Goku grabbed his mouth and faltered back, trying to soothe the stinging sensation that started to drive him crazy.  
  
What neither of the rivals had realized was that in his aching shock, he'd just consumed Vegeta's blood.  
  
Suddenly, Goku removed the hands from his mouth when he saw blood start to rush out from beneath his fingernails. "What...?" He felt an intense searing rise up through his arm, and start to burn through his flesh.  
  
Inside his head he could hear his heartbeat thumping at a steady pace, and listened madly as it gradually became faster and faster. His muscles felt tensed and overflowing with adrenaline.  
  
Abruptly, his eyes started to twinge in a blistering sensation. Screaming, his hands were instinctively wrapped over his shut eyelids, and his brain was swallowed over with a syrupy suppression.  
  
Goku's mind started to panic, and he thought desperately for the reason for his pain. The answer hit him only an instant later, and he grabbed his skull in his exertion against the ailment.  
  
Vegeta watched in horror as Goku wrapped his hands around his head and moaned louder and louder. He was sinking in gradually, his knees bending with involuntary movement in his mental combat.  
  
The others remained still as they stared at the scene, waiting in trepidation as the Saiyan warrior groaned in the vast and drowning torture.  
  
The moaning ceased, and his arms dropped to his sides.  
  
No one spoke, only kept their eyes glued in apprehension at the kneeling figure. One foot was set firmly on the ground, and steadily the being ascended to a standing posture. Blazing crimson eyes peered at the onlookers in a silent and inner patience of observation.  
  
The movement of Goten's feet rang in everyone's ears as he and Trunks started to draw back.  
  
Vegeta stayed in his position, unsure of what he should do.  
  
Chi-Chi, Bulma, and Videl slowly exited out of the remains of the building and past the two boys, who ignored them.  
  
For several minutes, none of the other fighters moved from their positions, keeping absolutely still.  
  
Silence and no motion started to aggravate and bore Goku. "Are we going to stand like this for the rest of the night?" he asked, clenching his fist.  
  
Vegeta threw a black orb of energy at Goku, who caught it within his cupped hand. The sphere glowed for a while, until the holder let it dissipate.  
  
Angered, confused, and irritated, Vegeta cast a powerful ray towards the enemy combatant.  
  
Goku lifted his hand and held it before him. The ray was deflected, and it swept over and past him.  
  
Desperate, Videl, standing not too far down the street, ran back over and grabbed the bag that contained the Dragon Balls off of the ground near Goten and Trunks's feet.  
  
Goten turned quickly and prepared to fire at his sister-in-law, but was stopped by a painful ray searing deep into the arm that had been raised. Goku still stood with his finger pointed at his son.  
  
"Are you crazy?" Bulma cried.  
  
"Just go!"  
  
They ran down the street until they had gotten far enough away for Bulma to toss one of her capsules out to the ground. The silver ship appeared, and they climbed in, leaving the scene.  
  
Both Trunks and Goten knew better than to follow, and kept absolutely still.  
  
Sooner or later, Goku knew that someone was going to make a first move. He only had to wait.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
"That was possibly the craziest thing you've ever done!" Bulma snapped at Videl.  
  
"You scared me to death!" Chi-Chi shouted.  
  
"But I got them back. If we can find the rest of them now, we can wish Gohan back to life and restore them all to health."  
  
"Will it really be that easy?" Chi-Chi suddenly seemed hopeful.  
  
"I don't know," Bulma said. "Before Vegeta was beside himself, he told me that most likely whoever made the virus had expected us to use the Dragon Balls to ask for a cure. I'm beginning to wonder if he was right..."  
  
"Well, we can at least revive Gohan even if we can't heal the guys, right?" Videl asked, clutching the bag.  
  
"Maybe." Bulma looked down at the radar. "We're pretty close to one of them."  
  
"I hope Goku will be alright." Chi-Chi clenched the skirt of her dress in her anxiety. "I mean, he didn't seem like the others when I looked at him. He was completely different, like he still knew me. Do you think he's still on our side?"  
  
"I think so," Videl nodded. "After all, he helped me when Goten..." She stopped.  
  
"Goten...he'll want to fight Goku, I just know it."  
  
"Hey," Bulma looked back for a moment, "Goku knows better. He won't want to hurt his son, you can be sure it's the last thing he would do."  
  
"And all three of them are ganging up on him!" Chi-Chi shouted. "He can't possibly make it through that, even if the virus does make him stronger."  
  
"Now don't go jumping to silly conclusions," Bulma said. "He's Goku, isn't he? He can take care of himself, he always does. Besides, worrying won't help anything. Right now we just need to focus on finding the Dragon Balls."  
  
They felt the ship make a sharp left turn as they continued on through the dark, early morning.  
  
I was going to write more, but oh, you have no idea how long it took me actually write just this! Oh, my eyes, staring at the computer...well, review! 


	14. Resurrection

Disclaimer: I don't own DragonBallZ.  
  
Thanks a whole lot, guys, for the reviews for my last chapter! I worked hard on it. I was constantly looking synonyms up in the thesaurus. So thanks much for the reviews, they're very rewarding!  
  
"I can keep this up as long as you can," Goku told them. Goten was the first to slightly ascend with heavy and slow progression. He had to make a great effort simply to get to his raked and bloody knees and hold onto the large, broken fragment of the building.  
  
"I...will..." He clenched his teeth as blood dripped from his mouth and chin. "I...can still..." He pointed his finger towards Goku. The alarmed expression lingering upon his father's face meant nothing to him.  
  
He was so insane, so possessed within his own lunacy, that with the pitiful remains of his strength, all he could concentrate on was murdering Goku.  
  
He made a horrid mistake in shooting at his father. Even the last tiny droplet of energy he attempted to fire sent him down on his back once more.  
  
"Goten..." Goku's eyes were fixed to the frail figure that strained to breathe. Goten had been driven completely wild in the battle that had taken place during the previous night. He'd struggled with everything he had, including the very force that kept him alive. Now, he'd made the final mistake. He was dying, gradually, slowly, and torturously. The sun cast small shadows on his face that was riddled with shades of white, blue, and purple.  
  
It was horrifying to Goku. With his dying breath, Goten had sworn he could still destroy the one who had raised and protected him. This is what the sickness did to innocent minds, made cruel and horrid people like the threats he'd fought before look no more dangerous than a child. The memories of when Goten was only a small boy ran into his head. That was still his son, no matter how old and independent Goten became, he would remain Goku's son.  
  
A wild and terrifying vision flashed inside his mind. That small boy, a caring and innocent child, became infected with the most horrible ailment. Suddenly he turned into a gruesome, bloodthirsty fiend that desired solely to rip out the insides of everyone in sight.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
"Only two left," Bulma said, putting the five-star Dragon Ball within the bag. "Let's hope we can do this quickly enough. I just want this all to be over and done with."  
  
"You think they're still okay?" Chi-Chi asked.  
  
"Still worrying...I just said there's only two balls left, we're almost done looking." She glanced at the radar. "Look, they're even right next to each other. If we hurry we can get both of them within the hour."  
  
"I hope it goes as well as we planned," Videl said, stepping back into the ship.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
"Very good, Kakarot. So now that your last son is almost dead, we can focus on you."  
  
"Vegeta, don't you even get it that you're not yourself? You think I want to kill you?"  
  
"Who asked what you wanted?" Vegeta clenched his hands tightly in his rage. "What I want is what matters. And right now I want to kill you."  
  
"Heard it all before," Goku told him. "But you already tried. You're going to end up just like him." He motioned towards Goten.  
  
"Shut up! I've gained more power than you could imagine. And it will allow me to finally destroy you!" The glowing aura surrounding Vegeta rose into the air incredibly, breaking through everything that surrounded him.  
  
Panicked, Goku rushed over and grabbed Goten and Trunks by the wrists and rapidly took off to set them down away from the battle.  
  
Goten's dying brain flashed back to only one desperate memory.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
He was lying just like this. He was stronger than he was right now, but still very weak. A hand reached out to him and placed a small bottle within his own palm. Flames were engulfing the area in which he sat, and he knew he had to run now or he wouldn't ever leave.  
  
"You're too good to be just a lab rat," a voice met his ears. The owner of the voice was the same owner of the bleeding hand, the one that handed him the bottle of blue liquid. "Don't lose that...or it's over...for all of you..."  
  
. . . . . .  
  
"Yes! We have them! I don't believe it!"  
  
"Quickly," Chi-Chi cried. "Summon the dragon!"  
  
Bulma shouted at the seven flashing balls that lay before her.  
  
They lit up incredibly, blinding the view before the three women. Hands in front of their eyes, they looked up as the dragon slithered through the air magnificently. Before they knew it, he was staring down at them, his deep breathing ringing through the air.  
  
"Who has disturbed my slumber?" he asked.  
  
"We did!" Bulma hesitantly called.  
  
"You each have one wish," he told them.  
  
"I wish for Gohan, my son, to come back to life!" Chi-Chi cried desperately.  
  
"It is done. Your next wish..."  
  
"Please, heal everyone infected with the brain virus!" Bulma called.  
  
The dragon paused. "That is out of my power."  
  
"I knew it..." she murmured.  
  
Videl stepped in. "I wish to know if there is at all a cure!"  
  
"Your wish is granted." He closed his eyes to search. Suddenly, they opened once more to stare at Videl. "There is a cure deep within the ice high atop the mountain. You shall find it there."  
  
Bulma nodded. "That's all our wishes!"  
  
"I understand. Farewell." The dragon disappeared within the balls, which rose quickly into the air, and separated, flying off in their different directions.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
The resurrection of Gohan finally ended as the last piece of skin reappeared upon the side of his face. He quickly got to his feet, panting. He gasped in his shock, and frantically searched for his right arm. Finding it there, he relaxed, but also became very puzzled.  
  
"Did I...die?"  
  
He thought back to what had happened. Unimaginable agony and misery had swallowed him, and he only had a fraction of a second to contemplate the fact that the right half of his body had been blown off by Vegeta and Trunks.  
  
"Someone must have brought me back to life," he thought. Then, unexpectedly, he sensed the auras of Bulma, Chi-Chi, and Videl.  
  
Immediately, he headed in their direction to meet them within the air.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
Goku stopped when he sensed the Ki of his son Gohan. Snapping back to where he was, he had just enough time to evade Vegeta's kick.  
  
"Come on, aren't you going to fight instead of just keep running?"  
  
He rounded upon his adversary. "Vegeta, I already told you, I have no interest in killing you, even in self-defense."  
  
Vegeta's scowl suddenly vanished. "Oh, well. Even I couldn't say no to a moving target."  
  
"Don't forget, a moving target is pretty hard to hit."  
  
. . . . . .  
  
With the last bit of life draining out of him, the last bit of self- consciousness came back to him. Goten was able to picture the blue bottle past the virus's smothering hold, wondering where he'd lost it. If he could find it...if he could live for just that for just a little longer...  
  
Oh, boy! I had trouble starting that out, I must have changed the opening several times before I went with this one. Review! 


	15. Search

Disclaimer: I don't own DragonBallZ.  
  
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for those reviews! How good it is to see those! Did I mention how grateful I am to get reviews?  
  
I'm running out of ideas...I might have to make the next chapter my last, just an early warning...90% that the next chapter will close the story up.  
  
"Oh, Gohan!" Videl threw her arms around him. He gently placed his hands upon her head, his eyes gazing down at the concerned yet reassured appearance that still hung on her face.  
  
"See?" Bulma nodded. "You shouldn't worry so much, Chi-Chi."  
  
"Where's Dad?" he inquired, looking up at his mother.  
  
"Your father..." Chi-Chi's smile vanished. There was a soundless pause.  
  
"He got sick, Gohan," Bulma told him. "But he's alright! Don't worry about him. He's got good control over the virus. He's trying to distract the others while we go and find the cure."  
  
"What cure?"  
  
"The dragon couldn't cure them for us, but he knew where one was," Videl told him. "He said it's high up on the mountain in the ice."  
  
"Whichever mountain he was talking about," Bulma remarked.  
  
"That's right," Chi-Chi nodded. "He didn't say the specific name of one. How do we know which one to search?"  
  
"Well, we have to start somewhere," Gohan told them, releasing his wife. "I'll go and look for it."  
  
"That won't be easy. There are approximately a few thousand mountains in the world," Bulma told him.  
  
"Just the ones with ice at the summit year-round, though?" he asked.  
  
"That narrows it down to approximately a few hundred." She crossed her arms. "It's like looking for a needle in a haystack."  
  
"At least we know the needle is in the haystack. I'm gone." Gohan took off for the nearest mountain, leaving the others behind, shielding their eyes against the sun as they watched him depart.  
  
Finally, Chi-Chi spoke. "Well? Shall we look for it, or what?"  
  
. . . . . .  
  
Bulma was right, Gohan thought. This is like looking for a needle in a haystack. How do I even know what it looks like?  
  
He descended to the first, icy mountaintop that approached within his line of view, and began to search. "In the ice, huh?" He kicked piles of snow aside randomly, spying for an object that might be medicine. Hours of hunting for the cure brought him no success, and discouragement sank inside him little by little. He pondered on the chances of finding something he'd never laid eyes on.  
  
Abandoning the summit, he commenced his next pursuit. In the mountain, he thought. In the mountain. The mountain. He contemplated on what Videl had told him. At last, the concept of a certain mountain and where the cure lay entered his mind. He would immediately continue his hunt on that mountain.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
"I'm tired of games!" Vegeta shouted.  
  
Goku, suppressing his Ki and taking refuge behind a last, standing piece of building, remained silent. He hoped greatly that aid would soon come to him.  
  
"This has gone far enough!" Vegeta clenched his fists tightly in his fury. "I'll make the last move!" His hands nearly held together, and his arms backed up astoundingly with adrenaline and muscle, he prepared to fire. "Final Flash!"  
  
Goku suddenly snapped back into the present, but time had run out. It was too late for him to make an attempt of evasion from the flood of energy that enveloped him and all the surrounded him.  
  
The cries of anguish and distress came within Vegeta's hearing. He sought out the Saiyan form from within the tidal wave of his attack. When the bright, golden wave dispersed, he headed towards the stunned fighter.  
  
Goku, his eyes opening to glare up at his adversary, scowled with impatience. Time was running out. One of them was going to fall as both warriors became increasingly enraged with each passing second.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
Snow hadn't fallen upon the peak of the mountain for a considerable amount of time, allowing the scattered, frozen blood drops to remain visible upon the indiscriminate pieces of rock which peered out of their white blanket.  
  
"I must be in the right place." Gohan stared out over the top of the canopy of clouds, the sun hitting him and the atmosphere with a blinding luminosity.  
  
He knelt down, scraping his fingers through the layer of snow, seeking out the nameless cure.  
  
At last, beneath a thick shield of ice, he located the tiny bottle. He put his hand to the ice to summon a tiny aura of energy to melt through.  
  
At last, Gohan was able to cautiously retrieve the delicate vial, grasping it securely.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
"It's not here," Videl called. "What do you want us to do?"  
  
Bulma, stressed and aggravated, put a hand to her forehead. "I don't know. This could take forever..."  
  
"Hey, he's back!"  
  
Bulma's eyes followed the form that steadily grew closer and closer to where they stood. Gohan landed before them, holding up the bottle for them to examine it.  
  
"Yeah, you found it!"  
  
"That not nearly enough for all of them, though," Bulma said. He presented the tiny, cold vial to her. "Hm. If I can analyze it, I might be able to make enough for all of them. It might take some time, but I could get it done." She handed it back to him.  
  
"We actually found it." Chi-Chi's eyes glowed with anticipation.  
  
Bulma stepped inside the ship, which sat only a few yards away, situating herself within the driver's seat. The others followed her, taking the passenger seats near the windows.  
  
Soon, the engine was fired up, and Bulma was directing the silver, sleek vehicle through the air back to her lab. In the back, Gohan still gripped the bottle firmly.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
Goten's thoughts grew louder and louder inside his head, trying to burst their way past the suffocating grasp of the disorder in his brain. He tried to force himself out of his near-dead state. Open your eyes, he commanded. Open your eyes. Open your eyes. If you want to live longer, open your eyes. Slowly, the eyelids shielding his left eye parted, revealing the world to him through a tiny slit.  
  
Though he could glance up at the blurred shadows standing over him, he was oblivious to the threat beside him. Sensing the newborn authority within Goten's mind, Trunks opened his own eyes, crazed and alert. He sat up with startling wariness, and his fingers curled in and out as he itched to destroy Goten.  
  
My brain is really at a loss for skillful writing today. If I can get some good, waste-of-time movies in my head, I might be able to do better tomorrow. If I do end this story with the next chapter, I wonder if I should start another one. Hm, you guys have to tell me, since I write solely for my readers! Review! 


	16. Heal

Disclaimer: I don't own DragonBallZ.  
  
Oh, thank you all so much for every review! Each and every one of you! They've helped complete this last chapter.  
  
Specific thanks to:  
  
Goten's Girl12 Rika/Phoenix Trunks' Brat Baby animeprincess1452 And everyone else!  
  
Yeah, I really hate to end my story so quickly, but I'm completely out of ideas for making this one longer.  
  
"This is incredible."  
  
"What is?" Chi-Chi glanced over Bulma's shoulder at something she couldn't see.  
  
"This cure. Remarkable. I took one of the pieces of glass that had touched Trunks and extracted one of the remains of the virus. The cure is actually surrounding it and paralyzing it."  
  
"Let me see." Bulma rose for Gohan to look into the microscope. He examined the scene carefully as the blue cell-like forms stabbed the tiny, red, oval- shaped virus. The red dot filled up with blue slowly, until, at last, at the opposite side of its body, every bit of its inner juices poured out with a microscopic eruption.  
  
"Holy!"  
  
"What happened?" Bulma pushed Gohan over to look. "It exploded! I don't believe it!"  
  
"What did?" Chi-Chi asked.  
  
"The virus! The cure caused it to explode from the inside! I've never seen that before!"  
  
"Will it hurt them when we give it to them?" Videl pondered.  
  
"I doubt it. They might be a little dizzy, but they won't be hurt. It's just a neutralization of the disease, after all, not the brain itself."  
  
. . . . . .  
  
Goten, blinking past the scarlet that seemed to be blurring and scarring his vision, dragged himself with his arms over to the side.  
  
Without warning, the pile of rock that stood beside him was smashed into pieces as Trunks, driven mad, came stumbling over the fragments of stone. Desperately, Goten tried dragging himself further away, but was prevented from escaping when Trunks ruthlessly grabbed him by the leg, digging his fingers all the way into his flesh.  
  
Goten instinctively rolled over and hit Trunks directly in his face. He clenched his teeth as he smashed back into the concrete ground. He grasped Goten by the foot and pulled him back, then turned him over to send his fist crashing into his mouth.  
  
Before he could comprehend his enemy's actions, Goten's fingernails were dug deeply into Trunks's face, scratching and fighting for his life.  
  
Trunks put his hands around Goten's throat, squeezing with all of his might, fighting past the pain inflicted into his face, focusing on the color in his rival's face as it steadily became a deeper shade of red.  
  
With little choice, Goten focused everything into his deteriorated legs. Fight back! Fight back, now! With an abrupt burst of adrenaline flooding in from behind the atrophy in his legs, he kicked Trunks with frantic speed and power.  
  
Trunks went crashing back into the concrete beneath him, the back of his head bleeding and throbbing with immense pain.  
  
Goten rose immediately and coughed out the carbon dioxide built up within his aching lungs. He gently grasped his throat with his hand, trying to rub the relief back into it.  
  
Trunks got to his feet once more, and slowly walked over towards his target, oblivious that he'd distracted Goku and Vegeta from above him.  
  
"See what's going on?" Goku said. "Now they're fighting each other. Is this what you're aiming towards?"  
  
Vegeta gave no reply as he watched Trunks limp over towards a barely living Goten, still trying to make up for the starvation in his lungs with every gasping breath.  
  
"They're going to kill each other, Vegeta. You're just going to stand by and let it happen before you?"  
  
. . . . . .  
  
"I've got it," Bulma said. "The analysis is complete. I can start making more of the cure."  
  
"You can?" Videl's eyes lit up with impatient hope.  
  
"It'll be easy. The cure is a form of bacteria, all I need is the proper liquid for them to multiply in."  
  
"What liquid?"  
  
"Ice water."  
  
. . . . . .  
  
"Well, I treat it, even though I can't cure it. Water seems to temporarily halt the flow," Goten told him.  
  
"Water?"  
  
"Ice water, actually."  
  
. . . . . .  
  
Gohan came back to where he was from the memory that had rapidly flashed in his mind. "Of course."  
  
"Huh?" Chi-Chi turned to him.  
  
"Mom, you remember when you found out that Goten was bleeding a whole lot, right?"  
  
"Of course I do," she nodded.  
  
"He told me that ice water was temporarily halting the blood flow."  
  
"I get it," Bulma said. "Frigidness is a hostile environment. It must cause the virus to respond negatively. Perhaps it died down a bit each time Goten used ice water for his bleeding, which was the whole cause of his bleeding. So whoever made the virus knew that if he or she could create something that would spawn rapidly in the cold, it would neutralize the sickness."  
  
"How do you mean?" Videl asked.  
  
"The human body is an ideal place for bacteria to thrive. It constantly generates a comfortable enough temperature for them to multiply in, but extreme heat or cold wipes them out."  
  
Videl nodded. "That makes sense."  
  
"Enough talk," Chi-Chi snapped. "We need to get to work on this."  
  
Soon, they'd brought in a large bowl of water, filled up to the brim with ice cubes. Bulma poured the blue liquid within the bowl as the others watched apprehensively. They witnessed the spread of the cure as the ice cubes seemed to melt within a comfortable pace and the water turned to a darker shade of blue. At last, all that remained was a large bowl of blue water.  
  
"Perfect." Bulma filled individual vials with the liquid, putting caps in them for security. "There's enough for all of them. Gohan, if you hurry, you can stop them from killing each other off."  
  
He grabbed the vials, holding them firmly, and took off.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
Trunks had Goten within his hold once again, still trying to strangle him. Goten's hands were locked around Trunks's throat as well, and each watched as the other's face turned redder with each passing second. One of them was going to run out of breath, soon. It was just a matter of which one.  
  
"Hey, Trunks."  
  
He looked up at Gohan, and suddenly released Goten within his screams. He tried desperately to wipe the blue liquid out of his eyes and spit it from out of his mouth, but was unsuccessful.  
  
Soon, he got to his feet from his writhing on the ground, and blinked past the blue fogging his eyes, able to see only disfigured shapes around him. He groped for where he stepped, trying to find the others. Without warning, he started to vomit, gagging with each slight pause, hoping to breathe past all of the regurgitation.  
  
Goten rolled over onto his hands and knees, his breathing strained and raspy. He reached his hand out towards his brother, whispering as best he could to ask him, "Please...I...need some..."  
  
Noticing how Goten was still fighting past the virus, Gohan quickly handed the vial to his young brother. As if he were thirsting to death, Goten wrenched the cap off and drank frantically. He sat calmly and patiently as the wound within his leg opened back up, releasing the blood built up in his, and closed once again. The vomiting followed soon afterwards, causing Gohan to back up slowly from the mess near his feet.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
Vegeta writhed in the pain that had been forced into his system as the cure slowly caused the virus in his brain and blood to erupt.  
  
Gohan and Goku watched until the scenario was over with, and Vegeta lay unconscious.  
  
"Ready?" Gohan handed his father the last vial.  
  
"Always." He lifted the cap and proceeded to drink.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
"Goten...what happened to you?"  
  
"Huh? Trunks?"  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"I don't know." Goten got to his feet and stared at his surroundings. "Whoa. This place is one big wreck. What happened?"  
  
"I don't know." The two looked out over the city as scattered people stepped cautiously over the piles of building before them.  
  
"Something must have happened," Goten said.  
  
"Yeah, but what?"  
  
"Whatever happened, I guess it's over." Goten looked up at his friend. "Trunks? Is it over, do you think?"  
  
"I think so. Yeah. It's over, Goten."  
  
Well...that was the last chapter. sniff I really am finished. Unless you all want to check for the other story I'm writing soon! Be sure to let me know how this chapter was, and also check for my other story, please! (As soon as I post it, which will be some time tonight or tomorrow.) That one should be longer, and a lot more planned out. And...my last time to say it...sniff....Review! 


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